BioShock Creator Compares Sex in Games to Team America

Ken Levine says video game sex is like “puppets with their clothes off.”

In an interview with vg247, Ken Levine, co-founder of Irrational Games and creative director on the BioShock series, discussed the use of sex in video games as a storytelling mechanic. In short: he is not yet a fan. This mostly stems from the fact that developers have not yet found a way to make it look like anything other than, as he says, “a puppet with its clothes off."

“I think it’s not about being interactive. I think it’s more about people not understanding what it is. If you think about the amount of, for example, nudity in a videogame… it’s not even nudity. It’s a puppet with its clothes off. There are other problems as well. It’s kind of silly in videogames right now, because – again – puppets with their clothes off.

“It’s more like [the movie] Team America. The sex scene in Team America as opposed to, you know, the sex scene in Black Swan,” Levine added.

Look no further than the sex scene with Morrigan from Dragon Age: Origins. Point. Set. Match, Levine…

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Levine continued running with the topic however, bringing up another interesting point about people’s perceptions of the video game industry. Levine says that because sex in gaming is still deemed controversial proves that people still see games as “toys.”

“The fact that’s even controversial says that the perception of the industry is that we’re making toys or something, as opposed to making creative expressions for a range of audiences – including adults. I think there’s still some prudishness,” expressed Levine.

“There’s even some prudishness in the industry itself. I did an interview recently and someone pointed out, ‘Ken, you use a lot of foul language.’ And I was like, ‘Jesus, come on. We’re all big boys and girls here.’ If I’m going to drop an F-bomb, I’m going to drop an F-bomb. I’m a big boy and I get to do that. It’s one of the privileges of being an adult.”

Do you agree with Mr. Levine’s statements? Disagree? Sound off in the comments below to voice your opinion, if you have one.